Association between reported education and intellectual functioning in an ethnically diverse adult psychiatric...

Patients' pre-existing survival skills, educational attainment, and intellectual functioning should be included in the development and implementation of treatment planning for adult psychiatric inpatients. When considering culturally diverse inpatient populations with possible cultural and language barriers, these variables may attain additional importance. Utilizing a sample (N = 60) primarily consisting of Asian/Pacific Islander inpatients, the present study investigated: (a) the rate at which professionals from different disciplines inquired about educational attainment; (b) the association between self-reported education and standardized measures of intelligence; and (c) the correspondence between different IQ scores. Axis 1 diagnoses included schizophrenia (N = 19; 32%), schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder (N = 23; 38%), and organic or substance-related disorders (N = 18; 30%). Thirty-five percent of the sample (N = 21) had dual diagnoses. The results indicated that only psychologists who administered IQ tests consistently inquired about educational attainment. An expected overall positive association between self-reported education and standardized intelligence measures was found. High correlations between the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, 2nd edition (TONI-2) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test-Revised (WAISQ-R) IQs suggested that both tests were valid in the assessment of intellectual functioning. Implications included the need for more systematic assessment and incorporation of pre-existing skill-based information and the utility of self-reported education and different measures of intellectual functioning (including TONI-2).